Southeast Europe bets on gas
Greece and Bulgaria plan dashes for gas to fuel cleaner energy futures
Gas is set to play a larger role in the energy mixes of southeast European neighbours Greece and Bulgaria as both countries invest in infrastructure to diversify their supply routes. The former is traditionally very dependent on coal for power generation—fuelling 34pc of output in 2018. But Greece’s 10-year national energy and climate plan (NECP) submitted to the European Commission by the country’s centre-right, pro-business Mitsotakis administration, which assumed power in July 2019, sees gas playing a bigger role in backing up the country’s renewables expansion. A target of c.4GW of coal-fired power capacity coming offline by 2023 would represent all of the country’s lignite plants curren
Also in this section
10 March 2026
Eni’s director for global gas and LNG portfolio, Cristian Signoretto, discusses how demand will respond to rising LNG supply, and how the company is expanding its own gas and LNG operations through disciplined, capital-efficient investments
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!






